Method of unhairing skins.



W. R. SMITH. METHOD OF UNHAIBING SKINS.

.A PPLIUATIOKPILED 1rov.u, 1909.

Patented .Lmg.23,1910.v

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I vUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM R. SMITH, BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO BUFFALO LEATHER C0., OFBUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

METHOD OF UNHAIRING SKINS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. SMITH, of Buffalo, in the county of Erieand State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvementsin Methods of Unhairing Skins, of which the following is aspecification.

In the removal of the hair from skins prior to tanning, it is customaryto subject the skins to certain chemical treatments to facilitate thelater removal of the hairs. But it has been diflicult, if notimpossible, to remove the fine hairs. This may be due to the line hairsbeing too small to possess the requisite tensile strength to enablethemto be pulled out roots and all after the chemical treatment. It has alsobeen diflicult to entirely remove the waste material and the remains ofthe chemicals, as well as the fine hairs or pulp, prior to the tanning.

The obj ect of my present invention is to remove all objectionablematerial that might interfere with the tanning operation. In attainingthis object, I subject the grain vor hair side of the skin to a strongsuction to cause a strong current or currents of air to pass close tothe surface, and simultaneously open the pores by curving the surface ofthe skin, and at the same time subject the surface to a rapid beating orworking action.

My invention therefore consists in the method, substantially ashereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1 is a front elevation, partlybroken out, 0f so much of a machine as will be necessary to understandthe invention. Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2, 2 of Fig. 1looking toward the right of said figure, but showing both connectingrods in elevation.

Similar reference characters indicate the same or similar' parts in bothfigures.

The supporting surface or table on which the skin is treated, isindicated at 10. E or convenience of illustration and description, thissurface is shown as horizontal. But I do not limit the invention to sucharrangement. The said table is formed with a slot 11 in which plays arapidly vibrating blade 12, two other blades 13 and 14- being shown asprojecting from the surface of the table at the sides of the slot 11.One of these blades 14, is preferably higher than the blade 13Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 11, 1909.

Patented Aug. 23, 1910. serial No. 527,554.

for the reason which will hereinafter be described.

Upper and lower feed rolls l5 and 16 respectively are employed to drawthe skin over the slot, said rolls being rotated in the directions ofthe arrows by any suitable means, not shown. A spreading roll 17, of awell known type, provided with helical blades or grooves, serves tostretch the skin as it approaches lthe slot, the direction of rotationof the spreading roll being at a slow speed in the direction of thearrow.

The working or beating blade 12 is removably mounted in a suitablecarrier 18 which I have indicated as a shaft mounted in suitablebearings 19. The blade is removably and preferably adjustably secured,so that it can be taken out for sharpening and so that its height can beadjusted to compensate for wear. Any suitable means for rapidlyoscillating' the carrier 18 may be employed. I have illustrated thefollowing structure An arm 2O is rigidly connected with one end of thecarrier 18, the outer end of said arm being formed with a slot 21 bymeans of which the upper end of a rod 22 can be secured to said arm at agreater or lesser distance from the axis of the carrier as may be founddesirable to impart the necessary amount of beating or working stroke tothe blade 12. The other end of the rod 22 is provided with suitablestraps embracing an eccentric 23 secured to va shaft 24 which is to berapidly rotated by any suitable means or connections, not shown.Preferably the connect-ing rod 22 is formed in two parts having alength-adjusting coupling 25. By means of this coupling 25, and theadjustment provided for by means of the slot 21 in the arm 20, the blade12 can be accurately positioned so that when it vie brates it will notcontact with either side of the slot. Sometimes, however, it may bedesirable to so adjust the parts that the blade 12 will just touch oneside of the slot and so shut off the current of air on that side andconsequently cause the surface of the skin over that side of the slot towork rapidly up and down.

There is suflicient space around the carrier 18 for the passage of air,and said space communicates with a port 26 in the casing 27, whichcasing may comprise two castings having flanges connected by bolts 28,this suitable foot-treadle.v The rolls 15 and 17V are mounted in a frame34pivoted at 35 to a bracket 36, the front of said frame being formed asa rod 37 which may be grasped by hand to raise the frame andconsequently lift the rolls 15 and 17 when a skin is to be placed inposition or removed. Preferably, however, I employ connections such as arod 38, the lower end of which is vconnected to the end of valve stemarm 32. It is to vbe understood that any suitable vacuum apparatus isconnected to the pipe 39 to exert a strong suction through the port 26and the slot 11, when the valve 30 is open.

Since itV would be diiicult to properly arrange a skin in position -fortreatment, during the time that exhaust is occurring through the slot,11, the connections described, including t-he rod 3S, provide forautomatically closing the exhaust or suction Whenever the frame carryingthe rolls 15 and 1 17 is elevated. By actu ating the elevator 33,

by means of any foot-treadle or otherwise, the closing of the valve 30simultaneously lifts the frame carrying the rolls 15 and 17.

The machine illustrated is supposed to be of a size which will present aslot having a less length than the width of the skin to be treated, theskin perhaps being passed through the machine two or more times toeffect complete unhairing. It is of course desirable that there shall beno open or uncovered portions of the slot 11 during the operation, sincesuch open portions would interfere with a proper suction against theunder surface of the skin The result of exhausting the air below theskin, causes the skin to curve downward between the blades 13 and 14, asshown in Fig. 2. This curving or'convexing of the grain side of theskin, serves to open the pores thereof. At the same time the blade 12 israpidly beating on the convex surface of the hide and so working it asto further open the `pores and allow the ne hairs to be pulled out bythe strong currents of air flowing under the skin and over the blades13-14. By having the blade 14 higher than the blade 13, the blade 12engages the convex surface at an angle or tangent, and serves itspurpose better than if simply worked back and forth against a surfaceparallel with the plane of movement of the edge of the working blade.

Owing to small irregularities in the surface of the skins, and thepresence of hair "which must pass over the blade 13 as the hide moves inthe direction described, there will be such a rush of air under thelower surface of the skin as to act on the hairs with suiiicient forceto pull them out. This is due to the air rushing in because of theexhaustion of air below the skin. Those hairs which are not pulled outby the air passing over the blade 13 are mechanically worked by theblade 12 and so loosened that they will be then pulled out by the rushof air inward over the plate 14.

I claim:

1. The method of unhairing skins consisting in opening the pores andsimultaneously subjecting the surface to the action of a cur# rent ofair sufficient to remove the hair without mechanically pulling it.

2. The method of unhairing skins consisting in mechanically working thegrain side and simultaneously subjecting the surface being worked to thepulling action of a strong current of air.

' 3. The method of unhairing skins consisting in convexin@ the grainside 'and subjecting it to the pulling action of a strong current ofair.

4. The method of unhairing skins consist.- ing in mechanically workingthe grain side and simultaneously subjecting the point being worked tothe action of a current of air sufficient to remove the hair withoutmechanically pulling it.

5. The method of unhairng skins consisting in convexing the grain side,and simultaneously mechanically working that side and subjecting it tothe action of a current of air suflicient to remove the hair withoutmechanically pulling it.

In 4testimony whereof I have aiixed Amy signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

wWILLIAM R. SMITH.

Witnesses:

WM. R. HEATH, M. S. WHEELER.

